Jesse m



MAQ' (No Model.)

J. M. GOIFFIELD.

LATCH.

Patented Apr. 18, `1893.

t www. ./.fsse M Coff/E/d @M30/Imag THE NDFR S PE ERS EC PHOTO LITHU NASHWC'ION D C UNITED STATES JESSE M. COFFIELD, OF BELLAIRE,

OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONEaHALF TO JOSEPH H. STEELE, vOF SAME PLACE.

LATCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 495,624, dated "April 18, 1893. Application filed December 22, 1892. Serial No. 456,054. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern,.-

Be it known that I, JEssE M. COEEIELD, residing at Bellaire, in the county of Belmont and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Door-Latches,of which the following is a specification.

My invention has for its object to provide a sim pleinexpensive and easily manipulated door latch, which is more especially adapted for use for stores, school buildings or other public buildings where latches are used.

It has also for its object to provide a door latch in which the latch lifting operation is effected as the door handle is grasped, Without the use of the usual lthumb piece.

With other minor obj ects in view, and which will hereinafter be referred to, my invention consists in the peculiar combination and novel arrangement of parts, all of which will hereinafter be fully described in the specification and particularly pointed out in the claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a perspective front View of my improved door latch. Fig. 2 is a perspective rear View of the same. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section thereof; and Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of some of the parts detached.

In the accompanying drawings,A indicates the front or escutcheon plate on which is secured the handle B, which is preferably of the shape shown in Fig. l and is held on such plate by the two screws?) b at the top, and the screw b at the bottom, which screws enter the door and serve to hold the plate A and handle B securely in place.

By referring more particularly to Fig. 3, it will be noted that the handle B is slotted longitudinally to form a chamber B', the upper portion of which has a cover portion BX, as shown.

O indicates a pusher member, which is pivoted in the chamber B at a point just under the lower end of the cover plate BX; such member has a nose piece c which projects inward, and a hand portion c which projects normally outward from the handle proper, as shown, it also having lateral iianges c2 which lap the side edges of the handle, when such member is pushed rearward in the manner presently described.

Pivoted in the upper end of the chamber B and projected rearward through the aperture a in the door body, is the latch unlocking or tripping lever D, which is formed with a toe piece d which normally rests upon the nose piece c of the pusher member O, as most clearly shown in Fig. 3, while its rear portion is extended, passes through the latch casing E and terminates in an upturned finger portion d.

The latch casing E, the construction of which is most clearly shown in Fig. 4, consists of a base plate E', having an elongated slot e to register with the door opening a, and sockets or iudentations e2, and an outer plate E2, which has a similar slot e3 and which has a pair of studs e4 which project into the indentations e2, and bosses e5 at the top and bottom which bear against the lower plate and serve to hold such plates E and E2 spaced apart, such bosses being `apertured to admit of the passage of the securing screws e6, e6, the lower plate also having apertures through which such screws pass.

F indicates the latch which passes out from the casing E between the studs e4, is pivoted on a stud e7 intermediate the studs e, and has its inner or head portion f extended under the tripper D, while its foot or lock portion f passes through the slotted guard plate G, as shown; such latch being normally held in en gagement against the tripper D by the sprin g H, which is secured to the lower stud e4 and bears against the under side of the latch, as most clearly shown in Fig. 3. By providing two studs e4 arranged one to each side of the pivot stud e7, it is manifest that the casing can be turned around for either a right or left hand door, and the spring adjusted onto the proper one of the studs e4.

The slotted guard plate G, it will be noticed, is a distinct portion from the remaining latch devices, so as to admit of its being adjusted to suit dierent Widths of door stiles.

l, indicates the keeper which is secured to the door jalnb, and is of the ordinary construction.

The manner in which my improved latch operates, is best understood by reference to Fig. 3 of the drawings, from which it will be seen that as the several parts are normally in the position shown, as soon as the handle is grasped, the palm of the hand will force the pusher member inward, which will cause its nose portion to lift the toe of the tripper D, thereby forcing its rear end down and causing the rear end of the latch to be depressed and in consequence raise its outer end out of the keeper, it being obvious that as soon as pressure is released from the pusher member, the spring actuated latch will engage the tripper and set it to force thepusher arm to again assume its outer or projected position.

When it is desired to operate the door from the inside, it is only necessary to pull down on the tripper D.

From the foregoing, taken in connection with the drawings, the advantages of myimproved door latch will readily appear. The same is exceedingly simple in construct-ion and operation, as itv can be operated by any' child tallenough to reach' the handle, as itis only necessary to push against the member C to cause the door to open.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. A door latch', comprisinga latch bar, a handle portion, having a pivoted push er member projected normally outward from the body thereof, and an intermediate tripping lever engaging such latch barand the pusher inember, all arranged substantially in themanner sliowmwhereby the pusher member will op'- era-te to trip the lever and latch bar when forced inward, as and for the purpose described.

2. In a door latch,in combination, a han dle on one side of the door, a latch casingon the opposite side, a latch bar pivoted in such casing, a tripping lever engaging said latch bar, and projected through'the door, and a pusher member pivoted to the handle and having its main or body portion normally prohandle having a longitudinally slotted por-l tion, a pusher member pivoted in the upper end of such slotted portion,itslower end projected to the front of such handle, its upper end having a nose portion, and a latch bar ypivoted to the rear of the door, of a tripping lever independently pivoted to the doorframe, having a rearwardly extending handle portion, engaging the latch bar, and a forwardly lextending toe portion engaging the nose end of the pusher member, all substantially as shown and described. p

4. In a doorlatch, the combination with the handle B, the pusher member C having a nose piece c, and the casing E onV the rear of the door, of the' latch barF pivoted in the casing E, having a head part f, and the tripping lever D having a -toe CZ engaging the nose c of the member O, and a rearwardly extended linger portion d projected through the casing E and normally resting on the head fot' the latch bar F, all substantially as shown-and described.

5. As an improvement in 'door' latches, a latch casing E, consistingof two plates ECF?, having coincident slots e e3, a latch lever pivoted between such plates, studs on the casing at each side of the pivot 'of such lever, said lever having a head portion f, a springl secured to one of such studs and engagingthesaid head f, the tripping lever D, engaging such head f, the handle B, andthe pusher member C, all arranged substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I affix my sign atnre in presence of two witnesses.

JESSE M. COFFIELD. Witnesses:

FRANK S. MANN, .I os. STEELE. 

